Okay folks, so I finally did it – visited both Mitla and Monte Albán last week. Had this question burning in my head for months: which one’s actually worth your limited vacation time? Just gonna spill everything raw like my usual practice logs.
Getting My Butt to Oaxaca
First things first, booked a dirt-cheap hostel near the Zócalo. Woke up at stupid o’clock Tuesday, chugged instant coffee that tasted like burnt tires. Hopped on one of those colectivo vans crammed with 12 people – my knees were kissing my chin the whole ride to Monte Albán. Paid 50 pesos like everyone else.
Monte Albán First Impressions
Got there when they opened at 8 AM. Sun was already blasting. Hiked up that main staircase sweating buckets. Stood on that giant main plaza thinking “holy crap, this place is HUGE.” Felt like ants crawling over a stone tablecloth. Climbed the North Platform, saw those carved “danzante” stones with funky figures. Took 20 tries to get a decent panorama pic without tourists photobombing.
- Good: Views made my jaw drop. Saw whole valleys. Felt like a Mesoamerican king.
- Bad: Zero shade. Got sunburnt through my shirt. Info plaques were vague af.
Next Day: Mitla Mission
Caught an even rattlier colectivo Wednesday. Driver played banda music at ear-bleed volume. Place looked smaller from outside – almost skipped it. Glad I didn’t.
Walked through the Columns Patio first. Ran my hands over those geometric stone mosaics – smoother than my phone screen. Crazy how they fit stones without glue. Went inside the Church Section where Spanish colonists just plopped a church right on top. Weirdest mashup ever.
- Good: Touchable history. Felt spiritual vibes in the dim corridors.
- Bad: Groups with loud guides ruined the mood sometimes.
The Brutal Comparison
Thursday morning I sat at a mercado eating tlayudas, comparing notes:
- Wanna feel tiny? Monte Albán wins. Those mountain-top views? Unreal.
- Into details? Mitla hands down. You can count every zigzag carving.
- Accessibility? Mitla’s flat paths beat Monte Albán’s stairmaster workout.
- Crowd control? Got elbow space at Mitla. Monte Albán felt like concert GA.
Straight talk time: I can’t tell you which is “better.” Depends what you wanna feel. Wanna be blown away by scale? Drag your water bottle up to Monte Albán. Wanna nerd out on craftsmanship? Go lose yourself in Mitla’s stone puzzles.
What I can say? Do both if your knees can handle it. Two different flavors of awesome. Still dreaming about those sunset colors over Mitla’s patterns…
